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Georgia makes it illegal to sell condoms that enhance pleasure

Banned bananas? An image circulating on Facebook shows two bananas, with the tagline: "Banana - ordinary, in pieces" and "Banana - sexual".

TBILISI, DFWatch — Lawmakers in Georgia want to make it illegal to use condoms that enhance sexual pleasure.

Other condoms will be legal. On Monday, a disputes was brought to a calm in parliament after a debate about what specifically can be called a sexual product and what should be prohibited to sell. This was the first hearing about the new law.

The authors of the bill claim that this type of regulation is based on the laws of a number of European countries and aims to defend underage persons from bad influence.

But the former ruling party criticizes the initiators of the law, because it is too vague about what may be considered as sexual product.

Goga Khachidze from the UNM who used to be environment minister remarked that it is impossible to define the list, while there doesn’t exist at least one sex-shop in the whole country. Others says how can one prohibit 17-year old guy to buy a condom.

In parallel people in social networks including UNM MPs joke about possible results of this law, how a person might be arrested for buying fuzzy condoms instead of ‘ordinary’ one.

The bill is part of en effort to restrict the selling and promoting of products of a sexual nature.

Parliamentary committee on Europe integration is the initiator of the amendments, which apply to the administrative code.

According to the bill, if there are sold clothes and toys for children at trade facilities, also at schools and places for underage people, cigarettes and sexual products shouldn’t be sold. If this happens, the seller will be fined by USD 60.

The bill doesn’t provide a definition of products of a sexual nature.

The broader purpose of the bill is to create a safe environment for underage persons, to ensure a normal physical, psychological and moral development.

At a session of parliament’s committee on European integration on December 7, Viktor Dolidze from the parliamentary majority remarked that adopting these amendments would contribute to the process of NATO and EU integration. He said this regarding not only the bill about sexual products, but also two other amendments to the labor code and the law on broadcasting, which were presented at a committee session on the same day.

At the session, MPs agreed to review the draft bill at the next plenary session of parliament. They remarked that authors of the bill will take into account remarks made during the first hearing.

At the next session of parliament’s judiciary committee, MPs once again discussed the bill.

Levan Berdzenishvili, who represents the Georgian Dream coalition, tried to define what types of condoms which may be freely sold and which should be restricted.

«It depends on the type of condom. It may have a possibility of protection, but also to receive pleasure, if it is complicated by certain technical means,” he said.

Koba Davitashvili, also from the majority Georgian Dream coalition, says that there are two types of condoms: one for protection and one with a function to satisfy sexual desires, and this will be the type of condom prohibited from sale.

MPs say if there is any disagreement over whether a condom is ‘the right one to use’, they can take the matter to court.

The bill has many opponents among the opposition, and among the public, but it has not yet been passed.

(Article has been updated.)

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Although truly this is a senseless legislative initiative, still your article does not explain its very significant detail: the ban should apply to shops selling products for children and shops which are closer than certain (50 or 100 meters) radius from kindergartens and schools. It absolutely does not prohibit any person of any age to by any kind of condom generally. It means a teenager of 14-15 can go to shop close to kindergarten or school and by “normal” condom or go to shop which is further than 50 or 100 meters from kindergarten and school and buy condom enhancing pleasure. Shops selling also products for children can sell only “normal” condoms, not those enhancing pleasure.

The term “Product of Sexual nature” is established in Georgian legislation in 2003 and it is defined as pornographic and erotic product not condoms. The aim of the new initiative of The Committee on European Integration is to ban selling the product near schools and near toy stores. So you should read the draft law first and then discuss. The source of this wrong information (Parliamentary minority) very well knows the real aim of the draft-law.